Electric sign



C. KERN ELECTRIC SIGN Filed Nov. 28, 1925 Feb. 23 1926.

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` His 'Attornau gij ff Patentedl Feb. 23,A 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL KERN, OF BERLIN-TEMPELHOF. GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC SIGN.

Application filed November 28, 1923. Serial Ne. 677555.

To all wlw/nI 'it m n.1/ concern.'

e it known that I, CARL KERN, a citizen of the German Realm, residing at Berlin- 'l`e1npelhof, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Signs, of whichmthe following is a specification.

M v invention relates to electric signs and in particular to signs of the character in which discharge tubes are used in the form of letters.

The transportation of the mountings and other parts ofan electric sign using dis charge tubes f involves great difficulties from the fact that the tubes are easily broken.

Among the objects of my invention are to lprovide tubes that are satisfactorily transport-ed and easily taken apart and exchanged;` to provide for each tube a Supporting plate on the front portion of which are located the tube which forms the letters or signs and on 4the rear of each plate the electrodes, in order that such electrodes may not interfere with the light radiation. The supporting plate according to the improvement also serves as a support for other devices such as voltage regulators and the like. A row of these supporting plates may be arranged, the plates being located side by side. Since each supporting plate represents a letter or character, an illuminated sign may be thus easily and conveniently assembled.

All the details of the means provided and tending to increase the efficiency and servi'ceability of an electric sign of the above character are hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed. Referring to the accompanying drawing, one form of construction of supporting plate and discharre tube repreu senting one of the letters of the alphabet is shown in Fig. l, in front elevation. In Fig. 2, the same device is shown in bottom lan.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic illustration o the.

connections of a plurality of disch-arge tubes with condensers, the tubes and condensers being connected in multiple. The dischargetube, as shown in the drawing, is bent in the form of the letter N. The tube, of course, can be bent in the form of any letter or character. The forward sign-forming glass parts a of the tube are located in front of thev metall plate b. Behind the metal pla-te are located electrodes c. The portion of the discharge tube which containsthe electrode projects rearwardly from the section a and passes through an opening in the plate Y). By this arrangen'ient, the electrodes are prevented from interfering with or detraeting' from the sign. As indicated in the drawing. the tube in front of the plate is secured to the plate by suitable straps. Similarly.

the portion ofthe tube which contains thel protects the electrode in transportation and in addition enables the formation of a unit which may be easily mounted or exchanged in the event of breakage. It will be understood that in the formation of the illuminated sign, a number of-such units are assembled in proper order land that the electrodes of all the units may be connected in parallel with a suitable source ot current; for example, the letter shown in Fig. l. is N. If we assume that Fig. 2 represents a similar duplicate unit with the letter O, then the combination of the two side by side would produce a sign displaying the word NO and the electrode c` in Fig. 1 would be connected with the electrode c in Fig. 2, both of which would be connected to -a suitable source of current which may be represented by the wires shown in these figures. Similarly, the other electrodes c, Fig. l, and c, Fig. 2, would be connected te a suitable source of current. lNhere a voltage regulator is used, the regulator' in each unit is connected in series with each letter, as indicated in the drawing.

It will be understood that the condensers tend to restrict the consumption of current of the tubes thereby regulating the tension of the are when the letters are connected in multiple as in Fig. 3. In this figure the tubes are connected in parallel across a source of potential. As each of the tubes has a different length dependinoV upon the shape of the letter, the tube having the shortestlength would, of course, 'be the first to becomeclighted if each of the tubes were not connected with contlenSerSaS indicated.

'Without the condensers the shortest tube would prevent the other tubes from being -lighteth- This drawback is obviatd through tube condenscrs, while in i"ig. I have indif cated plate condensers.

ihile I have described my invention as embodied in concrete vforni in accordance with the provisions of the statutes, it should be understood that I do not limit my inventionv thereto, since various" modifications tlereot' will suggestthemselves to ythose skilled in the art without departing from the nals for said discharge tube projectingthrough said platev and secured to the rear of the plate and electric condenser means mounted on the rear of said plate and connected in circuit with said tube.

2. An electric sign comprising a plurality of discharge tubes each in the form of a letter each tubebeing connected in series with a condenser in a branch circuit and all of the branch circuits being connected in multiple. In witness whereof, I-have hereunto set .my hand this 19th day of October, 1923.

CARL KERN. 

